Steam from hood at stop lights.

[surf_city]

I have 68,000 miles on my '15 passat tdi purchased june '15. Recently I have been noticing at stop lights and when opening door for clients that at night I can see steam coming from the hood by the headlights. Anyone else notice this? Hope it is not a serious issue. Thank you for any assistance.

 

[Palouse]

Have you checked for coolant loss?
Has it been raining recently?

 

[surf_city]

It's La Quinta CA where I noticed it, so very dry and warm climate. The vehicle was towed in first week of ownership after 2k miles because it lost coolant somewhere. I noticed it is low again below minimums. I will refill in the morning.

 

[251]

I have 68,000 miles on my '15 passat tdi purchased june '15.

68K miles already on a 2015? You must do a lot of driving as that works out to about 6200 miles per month.

Hope that you are enjoying it other than this steam issue at stops you are asking about. Sorry but I have no idea on what is causing the steam.

 

[tdiatlast]

Your car is steaming and you're asking and online forum for advice?
How about opening the hood and looking for the source of the steam, and then posting a photo?

 

[dzampi]

Your car is steaming and you're asking and online forum for advice?
How about opening the hood and looking for the source of the steam, and then posting a photo?[/QUOT

Funny how common sense sometimes does not prevail....

 

[Lincoln]

If it's a recurring problem, they should repair it under warranty, even though you're outside warranty now, since they obviously didn't fix it properly the first time when you were under warranty. Good luck.

For the snarky comments, you may notice that he clearly did open the hood, since he checked his coolant level. It seems likely that he couldn't see a source for the steam, or he would have mentioned it.

 

[tdiatlast]

Lincoln: Repair was done at 2 k miles, he now has 68k. You say, "...they obviously didn't fix it properly the first time when you were under warranty..." So, he has driven 66k miles w/o any "steam" from under the hood, and you, w/o seeing the vehicle, think he has a claim on the original repair (whatever that original repair was!)?

There are several places where there could be a coolant leak, if indeed it is coolant. To diagnose a problem labeled "steam from hood at stoplights" w/o actually looking at the engine is just absurd.

Sorry if you think I'm continuing to be "snarky", but this is a perfect example of expecting an answer, w/o first-hand observation, w/o enough information.

 

[surf_city]

I have opened the hood when it has happened to no avail. I did not notice any coolant smells or where it may have been coming from. It is very faint steam and the only time I see it is when the wind blows it into the view of my Headlights. So that comment about me lacking common sense is unnecessary. The original repair was faulty head gasket but from what I can tell that is not the issues this time.

 

[Lincoln]

Lincoln: Repair was done at 2 k miles, he now has 68k. You say, "...they obviously didn't fix it properly the first time when you were under warranty..." So, he has driven 66k miles w/o any "steam" from under the hood, and you, w/o seeing the vehicle, think he has a claim on the original repair (whatever that original repair was!)?

There are several places where there could be a coolant leak, if indeed it is coolant. To diagnose a problem labeled "steam from hood at stoplights" w/o actually looking at the engine is just absurd.

Sorry if you think I'm continuing to be "snarky", but this is a perfect example of expecting an answer, w/o first-hand observation, w/o enough information.

Fair point about not being able to tell whether it is a new problem. I was picturing a minor leak (if significant, he would be able to find it, and would have noticed the steam under more circumstances than those specific ones described). But there's no way to tell from the description whether a very minor leak went uncorrected and unnoticed, or whether a new problem developed. That's why I said that "If it is a recurring problem..." 66k miles IS a long way to go between observed problems, so that does seem unlikely. (And the OP's latest post indicates not a recurrence.)

I don't mean to start a conflict - just trying to defuse the occasional tendency to mock questions that seem bad on the surface. Sometimes they're not bad questions, but need a little more clarification for the gurus on here to actually help. Sometimes they ARE bad questions, but we should be patient with those people too, since lots of people with zero mechanical experience come here hoping for a little friendly guidance. The OP is a newbie - I figure it's best to go easy and ask for a little amplifying info, rather than make fun.

 

[Lincoln]

I have opened the hood when it has happened to no avail. I did not notice any coolant smells or where it may have been coming from. It is very faint steam and the only time I see it is when the wind blows it into the view of my Headlights. So that comment about me lacking common sense is unnecessary. The original repair was faulty head gasket but from what I can tell that is not the issues this time.

Surf, hopefully someone else will have better advice, but one option that comes to mind is to run the engine during a cold (relatively, given your location) night, someplace dark. Then, using a good flashlight, see if you can catch the source of the steam in the beam of the flashlight. May not work, but at least it doesn't cost you any money and very little time to try.

 

[tdiatlast]

Fair point about not being able to tell whether it is a new problem. I was picturing a minor leak (if significant, he would be able to find it, and would have noticed the steam under more circumstances than those specific ones described). But there's no way to tell from the description whether a very minor leak went uncorrected and unnoticed, or whether a new problem developed. That's why I said that "If it is a recurring problem..." 66k miles IS a long way to go between observed problems, so that does seem unlikely. (And the OP's latest post indicates not a recurrence.)

I don't mean to start a conflict - just trying to defuse the occasional tendency to mock questions that seem bad on the surface. Sometimes they're not bad questions, but need a little more clarification for the gurus on here to actually help. Sometimes they ARE bad questions, but we should be patient with those people too, since lots of people with zero mechanical experience come here hoping for a little friendly guidance. The OP is a newbie - I figure it's best to go easy and ask for a little amplifying info, rather than make fun.

Well put. I need to chill next time before I post.
Hope the OP figures out his "steam" problem!

 

[White Passat]

Check the bottom of the radiator. My '13 had a small coolant leak from a damaged radiator when the car was driven over a curb?? Not a lot of ground clearance. It took months for the coolant reservoir to leak down. $1200 to replace radiator and support bracket. I found the leak after my Passat sat for a week in the same spot at the airport. Would have been easier to spot if I had put newspaper under the car.

 

[surf_city]

Passat was towed to dealer today :-( Low coolant message was on, and after dealer pressure tested and filled to operating level it had an oil temperature warning when the dealer test drove it. Since the cause is unknown the VSC I purchased when I first bought the car may not cover this. I was stuck getting a rental on my own dime for the weekend.

 

[Lincoln]

Good luck surf. That stinks, looking at possibly large out-of-pocket on a 1yr old car. Please update us once they find the problem.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Passat was towed to dealer today :-( Low coolant message was on, and after dealer pressure tested and filled to operating level it had an oil temperature warning when the dealer test drove it. Since the cause is unknown the VSC I purchased when I first bought the car may not cover this. I was stuck getting a rental on my own dime for the weekend.

Without being able to investigate further, and going solely on the details provided above, I would suspect an oil cooler failure.

Did the dealer have any explanation for where the coolant went? How much did they have to add to bring it up to operating level? Did they confirm the high oil temperature alarm by measuring the oil temperature?

Bumper-to-bumper warranty?

 

[surf_city]

Without being able to investigate further, and going solely on the details provided above, I would suspect an oil cooler failure.
Did the dealer have any explanation for where the coolant went? How much did they have to add to bring it up to operating level? Did they confirm the high oil temperature alarm by measuring the oil temperature?
Bumper-to-bumper warranty?

The VSC is going to cover it according to the voicemail I got. They are saying it is another head gasket failure. Wow twice on a brand new car. As well as a clogged oil cooler line. I have no idea how that could of happened. The oil was 260*f+ when they drove it. Coolant res. was empty when it was towed in beyond that I don't know how much they put in or where it went.

 

[jimbo1mcm]

Thanks for the update.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

The VSC is going to cover it according to the voicemail I got. They are saying it is another head gasket failure. Wow twice on a brand new car. As well as a clogged oil cooler line. I have no idea how that could of happened. The oil was 260*f+ when they drove it. Coolant res. was empty when it was towed in beyond that I don't know how much they put in or where it went.

It sounds like there was leftover damage from the first head gasket failure that didn't get corrected, hence the second head gasket failure. They should thoroughly diagnose and repair the problem this time if they don't want to do the job a third time.

 

[jimbo1mcm]

Head gaskets can be tricky if not done properly. Looks like that is the case. Pretty poor quality control.

 

[jrm]

did they have you come in for a 1000 mile 1/4 turn stretch? or is that a 1.6D only thing? On every VW diesel I have rebuilt the manual calls for a re-torque at 1000 miles engine warm by turning every head bolt another 1/4 turn no matter what the resistance. I had to use a 4' cheater to get mine tight but check out that video in the sig- that's once nice rebuild